U.S. Policy
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced this week legislation to improve safety, scheduling, and compensation for Border Patrol agents.
The Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Amendment Act of 2018, sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), addresses pay and scheduling issues that have impeded the... Read More »
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) recently introduced the Law Enforcement Resources and Community Safety Act of 2018, which addresses state and local problems associated with drug trafficking, gangs and organized crime, strengthen witness protection programs, and provide resources to keep first responders safe... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced four bills this week designed to protect the country from external threats and foreign adversaries.
The four different measures include the Public-Private Cybersecurity Cooperation Act, introduced by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA); Border Tunnel Task Force... Read More »
The United States announced during the United Nations General Assembly in New York Tuesday the AMR Challenge, the “most ambitious global initiative” for combating antibiotic resistance (AMR).
Led by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Centers for Disease Control and... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday advanced bipartisan legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) to bolster America’s preparedness and response to public health emergencies, including biological threats like emerging infectious diseases, as well as chemical, bio or nuclear... Read More »
In a move the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association warn could threaten public health responses, the Trump Administration has transferred funds from infectious disease prevention, care, and biomedical research programs into its unaccompanied alien children... Read More »
Pennsylvania’s Allegheny, Beaver, and Washington counties were designated this week as part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s (ONDCP) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.
Congress created HIDTA under the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. It was designed to assist... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a $2.38 billion contract for replacement helicopters.
The original cost estimate for the program was about $4.1 billion. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson said that the $1.7 billion in savings was due to strong competition.
The first helicopter... Read More »
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recommended that the Department of Homeland Security’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office develop a plan to help DHS coordinate chemical defense programs and activities.
The GAO’s study came about in response to concerns about... Read More »
An appropriations bill signed into law on Sept. 21 by President Donald Trump will increase funding to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through 2019 and fund military construction throughout the country.
For the VA, this represents a massive influx of funding at more than $86.5 billion,... Read More »
President Donald Trump launched the National Cyber Strategy last week, the first “fully articulated” cyber strategy since 2003.
The strategy calls for integrating cyber into the four pillars of the National Security Strategy. Specifically, the strategy is designed to defend the homeland by... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has made a series of recommendations for evolution within the Department of Homeland Security, better defining its roles and responsibilities to make it less of a risk due to lack of cohesiveness.
Efficacy is a huge issue within the department. DHS’... Read More »
A senior leader panel discussed Tuesday the Air Force integration of Guard and Reserve personnel into missions during the Air Force Association Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in National Harbor.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, part-time forces heavily have been relied upon to meet manpower... Read More »
The recently passed Fiscal Year 2019 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related (MILCON-VA) Appropriations Bill includes funding for four military construction (MILCON) projects in New York State.
Specifically, $188.2 million was allocated to fund the construction of a perimeter fence... Read More »
Roughly $1.5 billion in funding to upgrade 135 of Abrams tanks was approved by the Senate on Sept. 18 in the fiscal year 2019 Department of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies conference report.
“This funding supports our troops both at home and around... Read More »
The bicameral Hold the Low-Yield Nuclear Explosive Act, or the Hold the LYNE Act, was introduced in Congress on Sept. 18, a measure that would prohibit the research, development, production and deployment of a low-yield nuclear warhead for submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
The legislation,... Read More »
Restoring force readiness, space operations and the future served as the prime topics during the Secretary of the Air Force’s recent update on the state of the branch.
Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson addressed the 2018 Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National... Read More »
The Sept. 18 release of the 2018 National Biodefense Strategy and a newly signed National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM) will bolster the nation’s defenses against man-made, accidental or intentional, and naturally occurring biological threats to Americans’ health and safety, said U.S.... Read More »
With federal attention focused on rescue and aid efforts in the wake of Hurricane Florence, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns of stiff fines for any drone users operating without authorization in affected areas.
The reason for this is to keep unmanned aircraft from inadvertently --... Read More »
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations and the New Orleans Air and Marine Branch recently announced they would be participating in Hurricane Florence relief efforts in the Carolinas.
They will be joined by the Jacksonville office and will support the Atlanta... Read More »
Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) are encouraging the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to assess threats posed by deepfake technology.
The three representatives forwarded correspondence last week to DNI chief Dan Coats requesting the Intelligence... Read More »
The Active Assailant Training, Readiness and Response Act, introduced to the House by U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA) last week, will seek to establish a Department of Education grant for active assailant situation training.
The grant would be used to improve security through university-based... Read More »
Seeking to expand the workforce for cybersecurity, U.S. Reps. Dan Donovan (R-NY) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced last week the Cyber Ready Workforce Act, which would support the creation and expansion of apprenticeship programs therein.
“Cybersecurity threats will continue to present... Read More »
The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security recently advanced the Hack Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Act that was introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Rob Portman (R-OH).
The act would establish a bug bounty pilot program to strengthen cyber defenses at the Department of... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives advanced legislation last week to help the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fight terrorist threats from weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The House unanimously approved the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2018 (H.R. 6198), which enables DHS... Read More »
Senate lawmakers have approved a report earmarking $61 million for the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), which is located at Ohio’s Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
The Armed Services Committee authorized the funding as part of the FY 2019 National Defense Authorization Act... Read More »
As the U.S. Air Force considers removing the A-10 Warthog from active use, U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) has written a letter to the Defense Appropriations Conference Committee urging for the committee to fully fund the $144 million to re-wing them instead.
While some say the A-10 aircraft is... Read More »
A group of five bipartisan senators recently urged the State Department to adopt cybersecurity measures to protect against phishing and other cyberattacks.
The letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo follows multiple reports by the Office of Inspector General that outside auditors found the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Mike Bishop (R-MI) and Mike Conaway (R-TX) introduced a bill to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to submit a report to Congress on Iran’s use of assets received from sanctions relief.
The bill, the Iran Payments Accountability Act of 2018 (H.R. 6774), states that... Read More »
Cocaine valued at more than $25 million was seized last month during a Joint Interagency Task Force South interception of a low-profile vessel moving in the international waters of the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
In all, nearly a ton of cocaine was pulled from the vessel after it was spotted by a... Read More »
Boeing gained a $2.9 billion contract from the United States Air Force this week, making them responsible for the fourth production lot of KC-46A tanker aircraft and all associated equipment.
The KC-46A is a tanker with multiple roles, able to refuel allied and coalition military aircraft, as... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force recently conducted an operational safety review and identified several areas of focus.
The findings have been released to field, flying and maintenance leaders at every level, so they can address the issues, facilitate safety review discussions and make more informed... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) introduced the Protecting our Communities and Rights Act of 2018 this week, which would establish a process to allow law enforcement to confiscate guns from individuals who are dangerous or unfit to have them.
It is a federal version of “red flag” laws that have... Read More »
Twenty-seven Massachusetts fire departments recently were awarded nearly $4.5 million in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Twenty-four fire departments received funding through the Assistance to Firefighters Grants (AFG) program and two received funding through the... Read More »
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is seeking federal assurances designed to enhance security and efficiency at the state’s airports.
The senator recently participated in a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation hearing and used the forum to address concerns with Transportation... Read More »
